UnitedHealthcare® Dental Coverage Guideline Oral Surgery: Non-Pathologic Excisional Procedures

Guideline Number: DCG029.06 Effective Date: January 1, 2021  Instructions for Use

Table of Contents Page Related Dental Policies Coverage Rationale ...... 1 • Fixed Prosthodontics Definitions ...... 2 • Medically Necessary Orthodontic Treatment Applicable Codes ...... 3 • Oral Surgery: Alveoloplasty and Vestibuloplasty Description of Services ...... 3 • Oral Surgery: Miscellaneous Procedures References ...... 3 Guideline History/Revision Information ...... 4 • Removable Prosthodontics Instructions for Use ...... 4

Coverage Rationale

Frenulectomy/Frenuloplasty Frenulectomy and Frenuloplasty are indicated for the following: When attachment of the Frenum is coronal to the mucogingival junction, within the free gingiva, or in the papilla causing a diastema, gingival recession or stripping When the position attachment of the Frenum is interfering with proper oral hygiene Prior to the construction of a removable denture replacing teeth in the area of aberrant frenal attachment When there is a functional disturbance, including, but not limited to mastication, swallowing and speech For or papillary penetrating attachment of maxillary labial Frenum in newborns when there is interference with feeding

Excision of Hyperplastic Tissue – Per Arch Excision of Hyperplastic tissue is indicated when the presence of Hyperplastic tissue interferes with the fit of a partial or complete denture (existing or new).

Excision of Pericoronal Gingiva Excision of pericoronal gingiva is indicated for the following: For recurrent infections of the operculum around impacted or partially erupted lower third molars When an erupted maxillary third molar is traumatizing soft tissue around opposing tooth When the presence interferes with the fit of a partial or complete denture

Surgical Reduction of Fibrous Tuberosity Surgical reduction of fibrous Tuberosity is indicated when the presence interferes with the fit of a partial or complete denture.

Transseptal Fiberotomy/Supra Crestal Fiberotomy, By Report Transseptal fiberotomy/supra crestal fiberotomy is indicated to reduce rotational relapse of individual teeth following orthodontic treatment.

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Removal of Lateral Exostosis (Maxilla or ) Removal of lateral Exostosis is indicated for the following: If a partial or complete denture cannot be adapted successfully to the alveolar ridge When causing soft tissue trauma with existing removable appliances For unusually large Exostoses that are prone to recurrent traumatic injury

Removal of Removal of Torus Palatinus is indicated for the following: When a dental prosthesis will cover the palate and a large palatal torus will interfere with fit For unusually large tori that are prone to recurrent traumatic injury When there is a functional disturbance, including, but not limited to mastication, swallowing and speech

Removal of Torus Mandibularis Removal of Torus Mandibularis is indicated for the following: If a mandibular partial or complete denture cannot be adapted successfully to the alveolar ridge For unusually large tori that are prone to recurrent traumatic injury When the tori is so large that it interferes with normal tongue movement When there is a functional disturbance, including, but not limited to mastication, swallowing and speech

Bony excisional procedures are not indicated for patients with unmanaged medical conditions that result in excessive or uncontrolled bleeding, reduced resistance to infection, or poor healing response.

Coverage Limitations Removal of Torus is limited to 1 per site per visit Transseptal and Supra Crestal Fiberotomy is limited to 1 time per tooth per lifetime Excision of Hyperplastic tissue or pericoronal gingiva is limited to 1 per site per consecutive 36 months

Exclusions Reconstructive surgery, regardless of whether or not the surgery is incidental to a dental disease, injury, or congenital anomaly, when the primary purpose is to improve physiological functioning of the involved part of the body Any dental procedure performed solely for cosmetic/aesthetic reasons

Definitions

Ankyloglossia: Partial or complete fusion of the tongue with the floor of the mouth or the lingual gingiva due to an abnormally short, mid-line lingual Frenulum, resulting in restricted tongue movement (also known as tongue-tie). (AAP)

Exostosis/Exostoses: A benign, bony growth projecting outward from the surface of a bone. (AAP)

Frenum/Frenulum: A fold of mucous membrane tissue that attaches the lips and cheeks to the alveolar mucosa (and/or gingiva) and underlying periosteum (AAP). The Placek’s Classification of Labial Frenal Attachments (Devishree et. al): Mucosal: When the frenal fibres are attached up to the mucogingival junction Gingival: When the fibres are inserted within the attached gingiva Papillary: When the fibres are extending into the interdental papilla Papilla Penetrating: When the frenal fibres cross the alveolar process and extend up to the palatine papilla

Hyperplastic: The increase in the size of a structure due to an increase in the number of cells. (AAP)

Torus Palatinus: A bony protuberance occurring at the midline of the hard palate. (AAP)

Torus Mandibularis: A bony exostosis on the lingual aspect of the mandible, generally in the premolarmolar region; commonly bilateral. (AAP)

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Tuberosity: An osseous projection or protuberance. (AAP)

Applicable Codes

The following list(s) of procedure and/or diagnosis codes is provided for reference purposes only and may not be all inclusive. Listing of a code in this guideline does not imply that the service described by the code is a covered or non-covered health service. Benefit coverage for health services is determined by the member specific benefit plan document and applicable laws that may require coverage for a specific service. The inclusion of a code does not imply any right to reimbursement or guarantee claim payment. Other Policies and Guidelines may apply.

CDT Code Description D7291 Transseptal fiberotomy/supra crestal fiberotomy, by report D7471 Removal of lateral exostosis (maxilla or mandible) D7472 Removal of torus palatinus D7473 Removal of torus mandibularis D7961 Buccal / labial frenectomy (frenulectomy) D7962 Lingual frenectomy (frenulectomy) D7963 Frenuloplasty D7970 Excision of hyperplastic tissue – per arch D7971 Excision of pericoronal gingiva D7972 Surgical reduction of fibrous tuberosity D7999 Unspecified oral surgery procedure, by report CDT® is a registered trademark of the American Dental Association

CPT Code Description 21031 Excision of torus mandibularis 21032 Excision of maxillary torus palatinus 40806 Incision of labial frenum (frenotomy) 40819 Excision of frenum, labial or buccal (frenumectomy, frenulectomy, frenectomy) 41010 Incision of lingual frenum (frenotomy) 41115 Excision of lingual frenum (frenectomy) 41520 Frenoplasty (surgical revision of frenum, e.g., with Z-plasty) 41821 Operculectomy, excision pericoronal tissues 41822 Excision of fibrous tuberosities, dentoalveolar structures 41828 Excision of hyperplastic alveolar mucosa, each quadrant (specify) CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association

Description of Services

Oral surgery excisional procedures involve the removal and/or alteration of hard and soft oral tissues to achieve normal physiologic function or allow the proper fit of removable appliances.

References

Akylacin S, Kapadia H, English J. Mosby’s Orthodontic Review, 2nd ed. St. Louis: Mosby c2015. Chapter 23, Retention and Relapse in ; p. 297.

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American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Guideline on Management Considerations for Pediatric Oral Surgery and Oral Pathology. Adopted 2005. Revised 2015. American Academy of Peridontology (AAP) Glossary of Periodontal Terms American Dental Association (ADA) CDT Codebook 2020 American Dental Association Glossary of Clinical and Administrative Terms. Carr A, Brown D. McCracken’s Removable Partial Prosthodontics, 13th ed. St. Louis: Mosby c2016. Chapter 14, Preparation of the Mouth for Removable Partial Dentures; p. 190-191. Devishree, Gujjari SK, Shubhashini PV. Frenectomy: a review with the reports of surgical techniques. J Clin Diagn Res. 2012 Nov; 6(9):1587-92. Ness G. Atlas of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 1st ed. St. Louis: Mosby c2016. Chapter 14, Palatal and Lingual Torus Removal; p.120-26. Shenoy S, Boaz K, Caroline Rodriguez Pena, et al. Textbook of Oral Medicine, Oral Diagnosis and Oral Radiology, 2nd ed. India: Mosby c2013.Section II- Oral and Maxillofacial Disturbances, Chapter 2, Developmental Disturbances; p.19-21. Takei E. Scheyer T, Azzi R, et al. Carranza’s Clinical Periodontology, 12th ed. St. Louis: Mosby c2015. Chapter 63, Periodontal Plastic and Esthetic Surgery; p. 628-631. UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company Dental Certificate of Coverage 2018.

Guideline History/Revision Information

Date Summary of Changes 03/15/2021 • Updated dental entity brand logo 01/01/2021 Template Update Reformatted policy; transferred content to new template Applicable Codes Updated list of applicable CDT codes to reflect annual edits: o Added D7961 and D7962 o Removed D7960 Supporting Information Archived previous policy version DCG029.05

Instructions for Use

This Dental Coverage Guideline provides assistance in interpreting UnitedHealthcare standard dental benefit plans. When deciding coverage, the member specific benefit plan document must be referenced as the terms of the member specific benefit plan may differ from the standard dental plan. In the event of a conflict, the member specific benefit plan document governs. Before using this guideline, please check the member specific benefit plan document and any applicable federal or state mandates. UnitedHealthcare reserves the right to modify its Policies and Guidelines as necessary. This Dental Coverage Guideline is provided for informational purposes. It does not constitute medical advice.

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